The present invention is directed to nasal clips which apply pressure on the septum of the wearer. Prior art nasal clip devices have typically served a number of purposes. First, they have been utilized to keep the nasal passages of the wearer open while the wearer is asleep. Secondly, these clips have been used to control snoring. Thirdly, they have been used to block the nasal passages in athletes and most particularly for swimmers. Finally, nasal clips have been utilized for first aid and medical applications such as for controlling nose bleeds and for supporting devices such as anesthetic face masks.
There are a number of prior art patents which disclose nasal clip embodiments. U.S. Design Pat. No. 375,552 discloses an improved nasal clip comprising a horseshoe shaped member which applies pressure on the septum of a wearer. U.S. Pat. No. 4,369,783 discloses a nose clip for the prophylactic or therapeutic treatment of cattle. The clip comprises a bow whose ends are designed to receive active ingredients in the form of medicines. The receiving ends are inclined towards each other to hold the clip in place within the animal's nose.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,457,756 discloses a clip for treatment of nose bleeds having opposed legs which apply constant pressure on the nasal mucosa lying on the septum immediately inside the nostrils. This patent discloses a number of embodiments for clips which apply continuous pressure to the septum of a wearer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,759,365 discloses a spring-coil wire device comprising a pair of barrel-shaped bodies constructed of a resilient material and including a plurality of peripherally spaced and generally U-shaped body segments which apply a constant pressure on the nasal passages and nasal septum of the wearer.
Finally, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,445,508 and 4,033,342 disclose nasal clips which fit on the outside of the nose of the wearer and which apply constant pressure on the nasal passages. These clips are mainly utilized for swimmers.
While there are a number of prior art devices which provide nasal opening and septum pressure systems, none of these devices include a magnetic closure system. It would be desirable to provide a nasal clip which applies a constant pressure to the septum of a wearer including the use of magnets to draw the clips together and hold them against the nasal septum. The use of magnets would provide constant pressure on the septum and would apply a therapeutic magnetic field. Such a clip would minimize snoring and open the nasal passages by stimulating the nerves of the septum. These and other objects of the present invention are set forth in the following detailed description and the claims which follow.